knit to the music at iceland airwaves
with Stephen West and Ragga
a Knitting Iceland tour October 30th to November 5th 2012

At a glance
Tour dates: October 30th to November 5th
Accommodation: Kex Hostel
Knitting Instructors: Stephen West and Ragga
Eiriksdottir
Organizer: Knitting Iceland
Travel agent partner: LT Travel, Rochester NY
Included in the tour price: Accommodation 6 nights,
some meals as stated in program, an exciting
fiberly day tour out of town, knitting classes as
stated in program, a pass to the Iceland Airwaves
music festival, wool for knitting your very own
Icelandic Lopi sweater.
Price: 2250 USD
Early bird price*: 1750 USD
Ask us about our discount for non-knitting
companions.
Note: Airfare and transport to and from Keflavik
International Airport is not included in the tour price.
*Valid if tour is paid in full before June 1st 2012

The instructors
Stephen West – also known as Westknits, is one
of the fastest rising stars in today’s knitting world.
His innovative shawl and accessory designs first
caught our attention but he’s also a fantastic
teacher and gets raving reviews for his workshops.
Stephen currently resides in Amsterdam where he
studies dance and choreography but fortunately he
also finds time for new designs. Find out more
about Stephen on his web site www.westknits.com
Ragga Eiriksdottir – is the owner and manager of
Knitting Iceland and an international knitting
instructor. She teaches with passion and loves
liberating knitters by teaching them new tips, tricks
and techniques. She has a couple of DVDs out and
her popular Lopi sweater patterns can be seen on
www.knittingiceland.is. You can also follow Ragga’s
knitting ventures on www.raggaknits.com

The knitting classes
Top down shawl design with Stephen – in this
class Stephen tells about his design process and
shares the stories behind some of his most popular
shawl designs. You will cast on for your very own
shawl or scarf inspired by Stephen’s methods and
get his feedback as you proceed in working on your
shawl.
Lopi knitting with Ragga – you’ll learn to knit a
tiny little Lopi sweater that contains all the elements
and techniques you need to know to knit aof a full
sized one. Then you will get expert tips from Ragga
before casting on your very own full sized sweater.
While knitting Ragga will tell you about the history
of Lopi sweaters and the Icelandic knitting heritage
and today’s Icelandic knitting scene.
Knitting together – we’ll have plenty of time to knit
together and work on our projects and you’ll of
course have access to your instructors during the
tour.

Other fun stuff on the agenda:
A fiberly escape from the city
We’ll hop on a bus and ride out of the city to see
some of the most awesome natural wonders
Iceland has to offer. We’ll see Geysir (erupting hot
spring), Gullfoss (ginormous waterfall) and visit
Þingvellir (the old parliament site where you can
stand between the European and American
tectonic plates). Of course we’ll also meet sheep
and visit a wonderful wool collective run by a group
of local knitters, spinners and dyers.
Ragga’s design and yarnie city walk
Ragga will take you to her favorite spots and places
in down town Reykjavik. She loves it and you’ll love
it!
Geothermal pool lounging
Pools are everywhere in Iceland and we’ll do as the
locals and go hang out in a hot pool out in the fresh
air.

Meals
Don’t’ worry, we will not eat the super cute lamb on
the photo. But we’ll have some fabulous meals
together.
These meals are included in the tour price:
Breakfast – all days except for the arrival date.
Kex serves a mean breakfast and they even make
their own skyr (look it up).
Lunch – on the day we escape from the city we’ll
pack an authentic Icelandic picnic.
Dinner – on the day after you arrive we’ll have a
fabulous “welcome to Iceland knitters” dinner and
the day before the tour ends we’ll have a “goodbye
see you soon” dinner together. Of course these will
be at two of our favorite restaurants in down town
Reykjavík.
For other meals you’ll be on your own, but not to
worry, we’ll give you good tips on the best grub in
town.
Please make sure to let us know if you have any
special dietary restrictions.

The Music
The first Iceland Airwaves was held in 1999 in an
airplane hangar… since then the annual music
festival has grown tremendously and become one
of the most interesting showcases for new music in
the world.
The Rolling Stone has called it “the hippest long
weekend on the annual music-festival
calendar”.
To give you an idea, here are just a few of the
bands that have performed in the past: Of Monsters
and Men, John Grant, Owen Pallett, The Shins,
Florence and the Machine, Flaming Lips, Bloc
Party, Hurts, Fatboy Slim, Sigur Rós, FM Belfast,
Múm and Gus Gus.
The bracelet included in the tour package grants
you entry to all the festival venues for all five
festival days. We will keep you posted about this
year’s program as it unveils.

Iceland in the fall

First of all the weather is really unpredictable.
October mornings can be lovely and sunny
followed by heavy horizontal rain in the afternoon.
An old Icelandic saying goes “If you don’t like the
weather, just wait five minutes!”. We ask you
to come well prepared in terms of clothing and
bring shoes that are OK for walking on wet, uneven
terrain. If the clothes are right nothing will stop you
from enjoying the city and scenes in all weathers.

Physical activities
This tour will include moderate physical activities.
To fully enjoy it you should be able to climb a few
flights of stairs, to walk outside on the hilly streets
of Reykjavík for 2-3 hours, and to climb onto a bunk
bed.

Good to know

The “official language” of the retreat is English and
all
classes will be taught in English. However, the
Knitting Iceland staff is multilingual, so don’t worry if
your English is a bit rusty.

What to bring

Your knitting equipment such as knitting needles
(32”/80cm circulars in US 6,7 and 8 / 4, 4,5 and
5mm), darning needle, small crochet hook,
sketchbook etc. If you forget something don’t worry.
We’ll get you sorted or you can buy what you need
at the LYSs.
A camera is a must!
Good shoes for shorter walks on uneven terrain to
wear on the sightseeing tour.
Clothes that will keep you dry and warm. There is
little use for umbrellas in Iceland, they blow away
all to fast!
Swimwear is very important, whatever the
weather is...
Your favorite band T-shirt for all the concerts and of
course the clothes you like to wear. You’ll be able to
wash clothes at Kex.
Your laptop or other equipment you like having
around. You’ll have access to WiFi at Kex and in
many cafés and restaurants in Reykjavik.

Terms of payment / Booking conditions
In the following text KI refers to Knitting Iceland

VALIDITY OF PRICES: All rates quoted or shown in our tariffs are based on current purchasing prices in Iceland. KI
reserves the right to change prices already quoted or published in our price lists without notice in the event of currency
fluctuation, government taxes, or due to any other cost increases that are outside our control. Any eventual changes in rates
will not be made with less than 8 weeks’ notice prior to arrival. After the invoice has been issued the price is guaranteed
against any surcharge, unless an increase is due to government laws or currency changes. KI will absorb an amount
equivalent to 5% of the package price. Amounts that exceed the 5% will be charged and clients will be entitled to cancel
their booking with a full refund if the surcharge exceeds 10%.
CANCELLATION: All cancellations must be made by letter, fax or e-mail. In conformity with business practices within the
Icelandic travel industry, the Travel Agent is obliged to charge cancellation fees to passenger(s) as follows:
CANCELLATION CHARGES: KI reserves the right to keep USD 150 confirmation fee to cover costs, if clients do formally
cancel their participation within three months of departure.
CHANGE FEE: If one requests changes to the package, such as adding nights, changing hotels or dates a change fee of
USD150 will be charged. Please note that there is no fee for booking additional nights in Reykjavík before or after the tour if
you book everything at the same time. Last minute change fee: If a confirmed service is changed less than two weeks prior
to arrival of the client, change fee of USD150 will be charged.
INSURANCES: We advise all our clients to have travel insurance. Upon booking you will have the opportunity to also book a
travel insurance.
COMPLAINTS: All complaints must reach KI within 5 days from departure from Iceland. Otherwise possible compensation is
not valid.
NOTE: KI reserves the right to alter tours and itineraries due to weather or road conditions. All programs can be changed or
cancelled at any moment during the trip to assure the safety of the clients and staff of KI. No responsibility is accepted for
losses, expenses due to delays, changes of flights, or other services or because of strikes, accidents, sickness, damage,
negligence, weather, war, changes in schedules, or other similar causes. KI does not assume responsibility for accidents or
death that can be traced to the participant´s negligence, acts of third parties or exterior circumstances such as weather,
natural occurrences, war or other similar causes. KI reserves the right to change prices due to inflation or changes in oil
price.